WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A small fire at the White River School forced its students to evacuate Tuesday morning.
Hartford firefighters responded a little after 9 a.m. to the elementary school at 102 Pine St. for a call of smoke coming from the building’s cafeteria. By the time they arrived, the school had evacuated all 162 students and around 45 staff members. Firefighters found that a fire had started in the duct of a small ventilation fan that was underneath the building, and the fan was blowing smoke into the school, according to Fire Chief Scott Cooney.
Hartford Schools Superintendent Tom DeBalsi said in an email that the fan had shorted out due to some flooding a few weeks earlier, and that had caused the fire.
“We will reinstall a new fan and take further precautions against water damage,” he said.
Firefighters identified and put out the fire before ventilating the school. Students, who went to nearby Dancers’ Corner because it was raining, returned to school around 10 a.m.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216